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Reds slow down Cardinals

Sep 10, 2014 - 5:30 AM Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Devin Mesoraco went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI, and the Cincinnati Reds, at least momentarily, halted the locomotive that is the St. Louis Cardinals with a 9-5 victory on Tuesday.

The Cardinals came in having won nine of their last 10 to grab a healthy lead atop the NL Central and had taken six in a row against their division rivals.

But the Reds knocked around a recovering Michael Wacha and used a quality start from Mike Leake to earn just their second win in eight games this month.

Leake (11-11) lasted six-plus inning and scattered eight hits and three runs, while Brandon Phillips knocked in a pair during a pivotal four-run fifth.

"It was a good all-around game," Leake said. "It was probably one of the best games we've played."

Wacha (5-6) allowed six runs -- five earned -- on six hits and three walks and was pulled without recording an out in the fifth. The reigning NLCS MVP was making his second start since coming off the disabled list.

"He had trouble locating his fastball," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Wacha.

Despite the loss, St. Louis still holds a 4 1/2-game lead over the second- place Pirates, who lost in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Jumbo Diaz replaced Leake with two on and no outs in the seventh inning and surrendered run-scoring singles to Tony Cruz and Jon Jay, cutting the Reds' lead to 7-3.

The Cardinals brought the tying run to the plate later in the frame after Matt Holliday's infield single loaded the bases, and Diaz walked Jhonny Peralta to force in another run.

A diving stab by first baseman Brayan Pena on a sharp line drive hit by pinch- hitter A.J. Pierzynski prevented any more runs from scoring, and Cincinnati got two runs back on Chris Heisey's bases-loaded bloop single in the eighth.

Aroldis Chapman was called in for a one-out save after Xavier Scruggs' doubled in a run in the ninth, and the closer struck out Mark Ellis to post his 31st save.

The Reds were shut out in the opener of this four-game series but got on the board in the first inning when Mesoraco golfed a payoff pitch that carried deep into the seats in left-center for a two-run homer.

Leake gave up a run in the fourth courtesy of a Yadier Molina sacrifice fly and personally got the run back in the bottom half on a double to left field that knocked in Zack Cozart, who tripled with two away.

Kolten Wong made a tremendous sliding over-the-shoulder grab to limit the damage in the fourth but inadvertently opened the flood gates with a error in the fifth.

Wong failed to record an out on a potential double-play ball hit by Todd Frazier, and Mesoraco ended Wacha's night with an RBI double to left field.

Phillips greeted Jason Motte with a two-run double to the right-field gap and later scored on a Cozart base hit for a 7-1 cushion.

Game Notes

Leake set a career high in innings pitched with 196 1/3 ... Reds leadoff hitter Billy Hamilton went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored on his 24th birthday ... Wacha is 0-6 in nine road starts this year ... Scruggs' RBI double was his first big league hit ... The Reds were outhit, 14-12.